Apparatus for handling comminuted material



A. G. McGREGOR.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING COMMINUTED MAT ER|AL APPLICATION,FILD JUNE 21, 1920.

1,492,997, 4 PdtentedJuly18,1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. G. McGREGOR.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING COMMINUTED MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, '19.2o.' 4

1,422,997. Patented July 18, 1922.. '3 $HEET$-$HEET 2 I A'. G. McGREGOR.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING COMMINUTED MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, I920.

Patented July 18, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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ALEXANDER GRANT MCGREGQR, 0F WARREN, ARIZUNA.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING COMMINUTED MATERIAL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER G. M0- GREooR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Warren, in the county of Cochise and State of Arizona, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Handling Comminuted Material, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In extracting copper from its ores, the ores or concentrates are often roasted in roaster furnaces, and the calcine, which is the productof the roaster furnaces, is smelted in reverberatory furnaces. Usually these roaster furnaces are some distance from the reverberatory furnaces, and the calcine is delivered from the roaster furnaces to the reverberatory furnaces in what are called calcine cars. Also the dust, which is called fine dust, and which is collected in dust chambers, Cottrell treaters and fines, is collected in the calcine cars and charged into the reverberatory furnaces.

According to the usual present practice, the calcine hopper of the roaster furnace has had a slide gate at its bottom, and a short spout or chute through which dust is drawn and deposited in the calcine car. The calcine car usually has an opening somewhat larger in diameter than the chute, and there is usually several inches clearance between the chute and the top of the car. The calcine is dusty, as is also the flue dust, with the result that much of the dust is thrown out of the car opening in the form of a cloud, causing a loss of valuable dust and causing serious annoyance to the attendant. Also, if the attendant does not watch closely, the gate in the chute may not be shut in time to prevent an overflow of duston top of the car. Then when the car is moved to the furnace the wind blows the dust off the car, or it may be jarred from the top of the car, and this also entails loss of valuable dust.

Also in discharging calcine from the calcine cars into the bins or hoppers over thereverberatory furnaces there is much waste owing to the loose connections which have been employed between the discharging spouts of the calcine cars and the blns or hoppers over the rei'erberatory furnaces.

The present invention has for itscbject to prevent the lossof dust or calcine in charging and discharging the calcine cars. This Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1922. 1920. Serial No. 390,466.

object is effected by providing the discharge nozzles of the calcine hoppers of the roaster furnaces, as also the discharge nozzles of the calcine cars, with sliding sleeves so constructed and arranged as to make practically tight connections between the said bins or hoppers and the calcine cars when charging or filling the latter, and also practically tight connections between the calcine cars and the bins or hoppers of the reverberatory furnaces when discharging the calcine cars, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a side view of a calcine car in charging or loading position. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. F 3 is a sectional elevation showing the vent connections and valve, and Fig. 4 is a detail section of the same taken at right angles to Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly in section on the line 5-5, Fig. 2, showing the sleeve operating mechanism, and Fig. 6 is a detail section view on the line at, Fig. 2. 1

In the accompanying drawings 12 denotes a portion of a calcine hopper or dust bin of a roaster furnace,,this hopper or bin being provided with a discharge nozzle or outlet 13 the entrance to which, fromisaid hopper, may be closed by a sliding gate 14, operated by a rod 15, connectedby a link 16, to a lever 17, supported by a post 18. Encircling the outlet or nozzle 13 is a sleeve 20 which is normally held in lifted position by a two part lever 21 fulcrumed on a fork 22 of a link 23, which is suspended from the hopper 12, said lever being preferably provided with acounter-balance 24. Connected with the lever 21is a chain 25,which, when pulled down, may be held in lowered position by engagement with a hook-26 on the lever 17.

The calcine car 27 may comprise two receptacles or hoppers 28, each having an opening which may be brought into register with the outlets of the calcine hoppers of the roasters when it is desired to charge the receptacles of the said car with calcine from the calcine hoppers of the roasters. In or der to make a close fit between a discharge outlet or nozzle 13 of a calcine hopper and a calcine car receptacle, the vertically movable sleeve 20 is mounted on said outlet or nozzle, said sleeve being provided with an exterior horizontal flange 2O adapted to be lowered into contact with a seat 28 on a receptacle of the calcine car, as denoted by dotted lines in 2 when the car is to be charged from the calcine hopper of the roaster. The sleeve 20 has a depending portion 2O below said flange 20, which will prevent the receptacle 28 from becoming entirely filled so that there will be no overflowing dust spilling out on the top of the receptacle 28 even if the sliding gate remalns open, there being sufiicient space remaining in the said receptacle after the sliding gate 14 has been closed and thesleeve 20 has been lifted, so that the material which may have been stopped in the outlet nozzle 13 and the sleeve 20 can be accommodated in the receptacle 28 without overflowing the same, owing to the fact that the said depending portion 20 extends down into said receptacle below the top thereof.

The nozzle or outlet 13 is constructed with a side extension 52 the chamber of which communicates with the chamber of said nozzle or outlet and through the chamber of which extension the rod 15 asses. The chamber of said extension receives the sliding gate 14 when the latter is in open position and said extension is providedwltha removable cover 53 affording convenient access to the chamber of the extension forthe purpose of cleaning out said chamber should it become clogged with dust.

The receptacle 28, preferably having a conical lower portion, is provided-with a discharge outlet or nozzle 29 encircling which is a sliding sleeve 30 which will normally beheld in a raised position by a lever 31 pivoted on a link 32 suspended from the receptacle 28, the upper end of saidlever resting in a catch 33. By releasing said lever from said catch and lowering same to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 the sleeve 30, provided with a horizontal flange 30, may be loweredonto a seat 34 at the top of a bin or hopper 35, which will be over the reverberatory furnace. The said sleeve when lowered affords a tight connection between the discharge nozzle 29 and the said bin or hopper 35, as will be understood. The discharge nozzle or outlet 30 of receptacle 28 will normally be closed by a sliding gate 36 having an extension 37 provided with a rack 38 engaged by a pinion 39 on a shaft 40 provided with a hand-wheel 41. By turning the said hand-wheel the said sliding gate may be opened and closed, as will be apparent.

In charging thereceptacles 28 of the calcine car it is necessary that there should be a vent for the air which will be displaced by the calcine dust entering the car, and to prevent loss of valuable dust with the escaping aira vent 42, which may be located over a passageway 42* between two receptacles 28 will, when the car is being charged or filledwith calcine dust, be brought beneath a barrel portion 43 at the lower end of a pipe or fiue 44 leading to the roasting furnace or to a chamber communicating therewith and through which pipe or flue I which may be lowered into contact with a seat 47 surrounding the vent opening 42. When the said sleeve is lifted, as shown in full lines in Figs. 3 and 4 it serves as a valve to close the lower end of the pipe or flue 44, and when it is lowered to the position shown indotted lines in said figures it will make a tight connection between. the barrel 43 and the vent 42 in the calcine car, the top of the saidtsleeve being open so that when lowered there will be a passageway from the said vent into the said pipe or flue 44. The sleeve 45 is held in lifted position by a link or connecting rod 47 which joins the same to a lever 48 pivoted on the pipe or flue 44, said lever being normally held in position to hold the sleeve 45 lifted by means of a chain 49 which may be attached to a hook 50 on a post 51.

The feature of providing the sleeve 20 with the depending portion or downward extension 2O beneath the'flange 20 which limits the downward movement of said sleeve in filling a calcine car, and which extension prevents the car from being entirely filled, in that it extends down into the car below the top or cover thereof, as hereinbefore explained; is an important part of the present invention, in that it prevents the calcine from overflowing the top of the car from whence it is liable to be blown-away and wasted.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the calcine or flue dust from roasters may be handled, in transferring the same to reverberatory furnaces. without loss of valuable dust and without inconveniencing the workmen by clouds of escaping dust. While the invention is more particularly designed for use in handling calcine, as hereinbefore set forth, it will be understood that it is well adapted for handling any dusty 1 comminuted material.

Having thus described my, invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a calcine handling apparatus, the combination with a calcine receptacle having an outlet part, of a sliding sleeve mounted on said outlet part and having an exterior horizontal. flange, a calcine car provided with a receptacle having a charging opening ofapproximately the diameter of said sleeve and which opening may be brought beneath said receptacle outlet part, and means for normally holding said sleeve in a lifted position but permitting it to be lowered into contact with said car receptacle, said means ing a discharge nozzle, of a sliding sleeve mounted on said nozzle and having an exterior horizontal flange and a depending portion below said flange, a calcine 'car provided with a receptacle having a fillingopening of approximately the diameter of said sleeve and which opening may be brought beneath said discharge nozzle, and means for normally holding said sleeve in a lifted position but permitting it to be lowered into contact with said car receptacle, said means comprising a lever connected with said sleeve, a link supported from said calcine receptacle, and means for holding down the outer end of said lever.

3. In a calcine handling apparatus, the combination with a calcine receptacle having a discharge nozzle, of a-sliding gate for closing the entrance to said nozzle, an operating lever connected to said sliding gate, a sliding sleeve mounted on-said nozzle and having an exterior horizontal flange, a calcine car, a receptacle mounted on said car and having a filling opening of approximately the diameter of said sleeve and which opening may be brought beneath said nozzle, and means for normally holding said sleeve in a lifted position but permitting it to be lowered into contact with" said car receptacle.

4. In .a calcine handling apparatus, the combination with a calcine receptacle having a discharge nozzle, of a sliding gate for closing the entrance to said nozzle, an oper-,

ating lever connected to said sliding gate, a sliding SlBfiWG mounted on said nozzle and having an exterior horizontal flange and a depending portion below said flange, a calcine car, a receptacle mounted on said car and having a filling opening of approximately the diameter of said sleeve and which opening may be broughtbeneath said nozzle, and means for normally holding said sleeve in a lifted position. but permitting it to be lowered into contact with said receptacle.

5. A calcine receptacle having a discharge nozzle provided with a sideiextension af fording a chamber communicating with the chamber of said nozzle, said extension having a removable cover, a sliding gate for closing said nozzle and which when in open position is received in the chamber of said extension, an operating ,rodfor said sliding gate passing through the chamber of said extension, a calcine car, and a receptacle mounted on said car and having a filling opening which maybe brought into. register with said nozzle. 7

6. A calcine car having a receptacle with inclined lower part and a discharge nozzle communicating with the chamber of said receptacle, and a sliding sleeve fitted to said nozzle and having an exterior horizontal flange, and which sleeve may be brought into register with a bin into which the contents of said receptacle are to be discharged, with the said flange tightly 'closingthe opening into said bin, combined with a sliding gate for closing said nozzle, and means for normally holding said sleeve in lifted position but permitting it to be lowered when necessary, said means comprising a lever connected with said sleeve, a link connected to said receptacle and on which said lever is fulcrumed', and a catch for holding said lever in lifted position.

7. In a calcine handling apparatus, a calcine car provided with a receptacle having I a filling opening, means for tightly closing said' opening when said receptacle is to be filled, said receptacle being provided with a vent, a dust pipe, and connecting .means between said vent and said pipe, said connecting means comprising a barrel opening into said dust pipe, a sliding sleeve fitted to said barrel and serving, when lowered, to make a tight closure between said barrel and vent, and when lifted to serve as a valve to close the entrance from the chamber of said barrel tosaid dust pipe.

8. In acalcine handling apparatus, a car provided with a receptacle having a filling opening, means for makinga tight connection between said opening and an overhead hopper when said receptacle is to be charged or filled with material from said overhead hopper, and 'means for preventing the said receptacle from becoming entirely filled, said means consisting of a sleeve or tube conducting the calcine or dust, the lower end of said sleeve, when the latter is in operative position, projecting down into and below the top of said receptacle, said sleeve having an exterior flange tightly closing said filling opening and serving to limit the downward movement of said sleeve and thus gage its 

